Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to imaging devices and, in particular, relates to an imaging device capable of simultaneously obtaining a plurality of images with different focal subject distances.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as a microlens array configuring a plenoptic camera, an image input device has been suggested, in which a microlens array configured of a plurality of lens sets at different focal distances is provided on a front surface side of an image pickup element and images are re-formed at the image pickup element for each of the plurality of lens sets, thereby allowing a plurality of images at different focal distances to be obtained from the image pickup element (PTL 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-158825).
Also, an imaging device has been suggested by the inventor, in which a lens with a different characteristic (for example, focal length and frequency) for each region is used as a main lens, focal images formed by this main lens at a plurality of positions, and a plurality of images at different focal distances can be independently imaged by an image pickup element which selectively receiving an optical signal for each passage position in a pupil region (PTL 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-88696).